Maternity-skirt.



W. 0. SvUHUMAGHER.-

MATERNITY SKIRT. V

APPLIGATIOH rn-nn man. as, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. 0. SCHUMAGHER.

MATERNITY SKIRT. uruonxon FILED r1113. 23. 1911.

1,006,800. Patented Oct. 24, 1911 2 SHEETS SHEET 2,

s ecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.-

Appllcation filed February 28, 1911. Serial No. 610,190.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM O. SCHU- MAGHER, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Chicago, in the count of Cook and State of Illinois, have invents anew and useful Improvement in Maternity-Skirts, of

which the following is a specification.

. My invention re ates to animprovement in'ithe class of skirts known as maternityskirts, for concealing, or rendering less apparent, the wearers abdominal enlargement.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel construction of skirt in the class referred to,

effectiveness In the accompanying drawin illustrates my improved skirt a broken perspective view; Fig. 2 is a broli en view of the heme in side elevation, and Fig. 3 is a 0 broken View in elevation of a portion of the skirt showing the elastic portion of my improvement. l

The material of the skirt ropler 4 is lait ed, as usual in skirts of t e present nd. The rhir section of the waist-portion of the skirt is so ed to the band 5 of an abdominal supporter I having extensions 7 and S attached to its forward edges by cords 9 'laced through eyes 10 provided in the supporter and its xtensions near their 18d 5.

means offihese fastcnings the extenslonsmay be let out as the width of the supporter is required to be increased; The is reinforced in its back-portion with vertical stays l1, and the meeting edges of the two extensions ,also have stiffening-stays sewed into them as indicated at 12, and are provided with fastenings 13, such as hooks and eyes, for releasably fastening ,the sup porter along its front on the wearer.

The waist-portionofthe skirt is permafor the purpose named.

, Figure 1 ncntly sewed to the band 5 nearly through- \out its length, this sewed section extending from the point at 14, near one end of the 4'5 band, to an inch or more short of the opposite end thereof, as to the point at 15, whence the skirt is free to form the flap 16 thereof (Fig. 1).; and the waist-band 17 of that see-- tion hals gathered upon it, to extend l0ng i tu 'nally thereof, a cloth-covered elastic str 18. At'intervals along the inner face of the strap areprovided eyes 19 to engage with buttons 20, or hooks provlded in proper position at'intervalselong the upper-edge portions of the extens ons 7 and 8.

' One, a section 21 of an external which shall greatly increase its.

.- site directions toward supporter 6 finishing or crush .band or belt is permanently sewed to the band 5 to extend from one point 14 to the other 15, and is provided with series of eyes 22 and 23 extending, respectively, from itsopposite ends toward the center of the back of the waist. Another section, 24;, of the crus -belt' is sewed, midway between its ends, to the skirt and elastic strap 18, about midway; between the ends of the latter, to hang, when out of use, as represented in Fig. 1, the ends of this section being shown to be provided with ornamental buttons-25 and with hooks 26' and'27 to engage, respectively, with the eyes 22 and 23.

It will be obserfid that the backortion of the supporter 6 is considerably ongei', vertically, than either ofits similar extensions, 7 and 8, to cause it to reach higher at its center on the back of the wearer; and that from that center it slopes gradually in oppoits ends to which the extensions are laced. That construction is an important feature of my. improvement in serving the purpose hereinafter explained.

When my improved skirt is worn, for the first time, supposing no material abnormal abdominal enlar ement of the wearer to have et taken p ace, the parts of the skirt may e in their initial or normal relative positions in which they are re resented in Fig. 1, except that theedge o the flap 16 will be fastened by the hooks and eyes 13, and the ends of the crush band section 24 will be hooked, respectively, to the'eyes 22 and 23 at the back-ends of the series thereof. As the enlargement, referred to, progrosses, the extensions 7 and 8' are let out suificientl to compensate therefor, and the strap 17 1S stretched adequately to cause it and the flap 16 to bridge the increased expanse and be fastened by the hooks and eyes at 13. Then the ends of the crush-band section 24 will engage at their books, 26, 27, eyes 22 and 23 nearer the front ends of the series thereof, and the eyes first used may be removed to avoid their display. The same operations will be re eate as the require ment for expansion 0 the supporter-portion of the skirt occurs. 1

The provision of the abdominal covering of the skirt in the form of an expansiblyadjustable supporter affords a desirable sup.-

port to the part or the body in abnormal condition and tends. to cause the skirt to hang properly and without liabilit tocreep upwardly at the-:awaist, to odgment of the skirt and helps to disarrange the waist-portion and to defeat the purpose of the'maternity-skirt.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. In combination, a skirt having a plaitedflap-portion, an extensible strap on said fla -portion, an abdominal supporter on the skirt to encircle the body of the wearer and formed of back and front sections, and

means fastening said sections together to panding it, the front portion of said supadapt the supporter to be let out for exporter ing of a length to extend from the waist-line of the skirt over the receding portion of the wearers abdomen, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination, a skirt havingv a plaited flap-portiom an extensible strap on said flap-portion provided with means for fastening its free end, an abdominal supporter on the skirt to encircle the bod of the we'arer and formed of back and rent sections and means fastening said sections together to adapt the supporter to be let out for expanding it, the supporter. being of a length to extend its backportion from the waist-line of the skirt approximately to the line of the wearers hips and its front portion from said waist-line over the recedmg ortion of the wearers abdomen, and said ac'k-portion being highestat its center and slopin thence in opposite directions toward the ront, for the urpose set forth.

3. In combination, a s rirt having a plait ed flap-portion, an abdominal supporter comprising a back-section secured tothe skirt and two front-sections laced to the back section to adapt them to be let out for expanding the supporter, means for fastenmg said front-sections together at their front ends, and an extensible strap secured to said flap-portion and provided with means for fastening its freeend, for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination, a skirt having a plaited flap portion, an abdominal supporter comprising a back-section secured to the skirt and two front-sections laced to the back-section to adapt them to be let out for;

expanding theTsupporter, means for fastenmg said front-sections together at their front ends, a crush-band section on said back-section provided with eyes, an elastic strap secured" to said flap-po tion and provided with means for fastening its free end, and a lcrush band section secured between its ends to the flap and provided on its ends with hooks to engage sa1d eyes, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination a skirt having a plaited flap-portion, an abdominal supporter on the skirt comprising a back-section secured to the skirt and two front-sections laced to the back-section to adapt them to be let out for expanding the supporter, and provided with means for fastening together their front ends, said back-portion being highest at its center and sloping thence toward said front-sections; a crush-band section on said back-section provided with eyes, an elastic strap secured to said fiap portion and provided with means for fastening its free end,

and a crush-band-section secured between its ends to the flap and provided on its ends with hooks to engage said eyes, for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM o. scHIiMAcHER.

. In presence of- R.'A. RAYMOND, L. Hmsma. 

